Teens thinking about Vocation

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anonymous1995

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Is it very common that teenagers think about being a priest? I mean it is not about ‘discernment’, just that any Catholic teens with adequate exposure to parish life have encountered moments in their lives when they consider Vocation as ONE of their viable options.
 
Is it common? It is in some places, and not so much in others. It ought to be more common. And remember that priesthood is not the only vocation. Religious life and marriage are also vocations. The teenage years are a time of transition where we begin to think about which vocation we might be called to. Pray and explore.

-Fr ACEGC

Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.
 
I’ve never really thought of becoming a priest but I have thought of joining the permanent diaconate. (If I have a full conversion and later in life)
 
edward_george said:
Is it common? It is in some places, and not so much in others. It ought to be more common. And remember that priesthood is not the only vocation. Religious life and marriage are also vocations. The teenage years are a time of transition where we begin to think about which vocation we might be called to. Pray and explore.

-Fr ACEGC

Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.
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I think that it was probably common enough among my peers when I was growing up.

I talked to enough of them to know that many of us thought of a call to religious life at one time.

I felt called when I first started going to Catholic high school. I remember the calling very clearly.

However, I felt an even stronger calling to marriage.
 
anonymous1995 said:
Is it very common that teenagers think about being a priest? I mean it is not about ‘discernment’, just that any Catholic teens with adequate exposure to parish life have encountered moments in their lives when they consider Vocation as ONE of their viable options.
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I’m not a teen any more but I do remember the thought crossing my mind in my teenage years. Often after youth retreats or Church events. I loved the idea of being able to administer the sacrament of Confession and thus bring people closer to Jesus. I did try out religious life for a year with the Irish Dominicans. It turned out though that my calling was marriage. 👍
 
AdamPeter said:
I’m not a teen any more but I do remember the thought crossing my mind in my teenage years. Often after youth retreats or Church events. I loved the idea of being able to administer the sacrament of Confession and thus bring people closer to Jesus. I did try out religious life for a year with the Irish Dominicans. It turned out though that my calling was marriage. 👍
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I have NEVER attended any retreat or parish event except that I began to meet a priest for bi-monthly regular spiritual direction and started to pray daily. That’s it. Then the idea gradually crept into my mind. At first it was some sort of envy for the priest, then the admiration was slowly extended to other priests (to a lesser extent) and saints (St. Thomas Aquinas!!!) … I wondered if I were only attention-seeking so as to please my Catholic friends or the priest … FYI I’m not in a Catholic family.

The idea became more concrete when I meditated and prayed the Mass, but it was not an intense emotion. Instead it was more like a ‘small wish’ … ‘if only I could offer a Mass on my own’ … sometimes the idea came but sometimes it went away

Am I just too bored with my life? Currently I lead a bright life - good family, quite some lovely friends, medic study’s fine, being a doctor is respectable - but tbh in these 3 years I’ve sensed a deep insatiability for the meaning of life. I love Latin and Humanities - I started self-learning Latin 3 years ago, but then in recent months I found that even a PhD in Classics or being an expert in particular fields of knowledge fail to give me satisfaction.

Anyway 🤷 I do love my medicine but I love Humanities (Latin Philosophy Theology etc) more comparatively. I find clinical experience rewarding but somehow there’s still a gap in my heart about what I want for life - I DON’T KNOW!

Sorry for my messy writing as I’m in a hurry

Shall meet my spiritual director again probably in mid-August when he’s back from World Youth Day 👍
 
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